


the hero of the story (don't need to be saved)

by plinys



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Episode Tag, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 11:33:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9489137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plinys/pseuds/plinys
Summary: Phil dreams of a woman, a hero, to a story he hasn't even written yet.





	

A favorite professor of his once said that his greatest film ideas came from his dreams. 

These words resonate with Phil on a spiritual level. 

Maybe that’s just because he’s high. 

Really high.

Like did acid an hour ago and then George broke out the weed high.

The best kind of high.

“If that’s true,” George says, pausing to take another hit, “I should be writing about flying turtles.” 

Phil’s laughing, at least he thinks he is. It’s hard to tell with how much he’s taken. “You dream about flying turtles, too?” 

Flying turtles was serious business. 

(The truth is, he doesn’t dream about flying turtles, because while that would be really fucking cool, his dreams are usually a bit less turtles and a bit more.)

“I think mine’s a woman.”

“A woman turtle? A she-turtle? A turtle-ess?”

“George, fucking, don’t no-” Phil scrubs a hand across his face. “There’s a flying woman, with wings like a fucking - a fucking bird man. A harpy or something?” 

“That’s hot,” George nods sagely,  “I’d let a bird woman fuck me.” 

Maybe it’s just because Phil is high, but for some reason he feels as though he doesn’t want to fuck the bird woman in his dreams. Which is strange because Phil hasn’t had sex in months, and he’s normally not this picky. 

Especially not with his subconscious mind. 

“Maybe I’m destined to write a bird porno?”

“That’s hot.” 

George says again. 

This time Phil agrees, because it’s easier that way, “Yeah it is.”

 

*

 

He keeps a journal of his dreams.

Of his plot ideas, and inspirations.

Some of them are scattered things - the usual sort - flunking out of his classes, showing up at the academy awards with no pants on, being locked out of his dorm room. 

The others are more specific.

He begins to arrange them into a pattern, into a story. 

There’s no real beginning. 

Only the sort of vague ending.

But there’s a cast and crew.

A villain.

An immortal hawk goddess on a question for revenge.

A couple of criminals.

A couple of scientists.

A teenager completely opposed to the idea of time travel.

A captain. 

And her.

The main character of this story. 

He knows it the second he sees her in the dreams, she’s the protagonist, the one that the audience will connect with the one that they will want to believe them. The person who thinks the worst of herself but turns out to be the best of them all. 

 

*

 

He names her “Sandra,” even though that doesn’t feel quite right.

It’s almost there, the syllables nearly perfect, but just off. 

His professor tells him that he’s taking a leap of faith with a  _ female protagonist _ . 

It doesn’t feel like a leap of faith to Phil.

It seems like fate.

 

*

 

None of the actresses for Sandra are ever right.

He turns each one of them down, until George stops him.

“I know she’s no Jane Fonda, but you have to pick one of them.”

He doesn’t want to pick any of them. None of them even come close to the girl from his dreams.

But in the end he closes his eyes and points at one of the headshots laid out before him, “Call that one back?”

She’s not right.

None of them are right.

But he doesn’t have time to wait around for a woman that doesn’t exist. A woman that has only ever existed in the back of his mind. 

A dream that he’s foolishly fallen in love with. 

 

*

 

When he does see her. 

Finally there for real. 

Calling him  _ Rip Hunter  _ and talking about a  _ time ship _ \- he doesn’t believe it. He cannot possibly believe it. 

He reasons he’s on a bad trip, that his dreams and fading in with reality again, and that it will all be over again soon.

He also reasons that she’s in love with him.

Not him, Phil.

Sandra -  _ Sara _ , actually, and doesn’t that name just sound perfect - is in love with Rip Hunter. Maybe she doesn’t realize it yet, but Phil is a writer, he knows these things, he can see the storylines beginning to weave together. 

Sara is in love with a man lost to time.

A man she believes Phil could be.

And for one daring moment, Phil tries to pretend to be that man, if only to give Sara that light back in her eyes.

That moment.

That blissful moment where she - the hero, always the hero - looks at him, Phil - the nobody, at least not yet - like he might be something more.

Like he might be made of good and wonderful things.

It's worth it.

A thousand times over.

Worth the pain that comes after. Worth the torture.

Phil can see now how easy it was for Rip Hunter to fall in love with her in return. 

  
  



End file.
